Justice League of America #243 - Oct. 1985

Aquaman returns, and the final chapter of the Amazo story!

The Story: "Storm Clouds" by Gerry Conway, George Tuska, and Mike Machlan. Continued from last issue, we see Aquaman--with Mera--return to the JLA's Detroit headquarters. He isn't relieved when he sees its empty.

Using the JLA computers, he sees the JLA headed for the Canadian Northwest, and he gets a feeling in the pit of his stomach--a bad one. Has he abandoned his friends when they needed him most?

Back in the Yukon, we see most of the JLA, unconscious and trussed-up, as they remain trapped in a pitch-black pit, put there by Amazo.

Vixen suffers from claustrophobia, but she finds it in herself to stay calm, and the power of her Tantu Totem allows her to break free of her rope bonds. Now...to dig herself and her friends out!

Meanwhile, Manhunter and Dale Gunn have arrived at the Fortress of Solitude, which was, before the melee in the Yukon, Amazo's last known address, as it were.

Vixen does manage to move the rock Amazo left there and dig herself out, helping her teammates out of the pit. She is met by another JLA shuttlecraft, and she is shocked to see it's Aquaman, and he's not alone:

Back at the Fortress, Manhunter finds what he was looking for: how Amazo escaped. Turns out it was an errant meteor that crashed and freed Amazo, not some supervillain or Amazo himself. To Manhunter, that means that all this destruction he is causing is from whatever human he first encountered, whose personality he assumed.

While Mera tends to the wounded JLAers, Aquaman tracks Amazo, who has made his way to Vancouver, and is ripping up the town!

They fly the shuttlecraft over him, and Aquaman dives out, getting a few good shots in on Amazo before he knew what--or who--hit him.

Back in the small town where all this started, Manhunter finds out that Amazo has been calling himself "MacGregor." Who's MacGregor? The local constable tells him:

...Tuska may not have been the best choice for superhero slugfests like this, but I simply adore that portrait of MacGregor--its so perfectly realized. Cartoony yet real--many artists tend to draw heavy people so they look grotesque, like Jabba the Hut, but Tuska nails it.

Anyway, back to Vancouver (where I'm sure all the destruction is causing the many, many movies always being shot there to halt production), Steel recovers enough to try again with Amazo. Amazon responds by throwing an unconscious Vixen at him.

Amazo is then confused when he meets--himself, Slick Jake MacGregor! But...how can that be?

Amazo is distracted long enough for Aquaman to deliver a two-handed, knockout wallop upside Amazo's head. MacGregor reveals himself, of course, to be Martian Manhunter using his shape-shifting powers.

Aquaman is happy, but Manhunter demands and explanation. He gets one, but probably not the one he wanted or expected:

Roll Call: Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man, Zatanna, Vixen, Steel, Vibe, Gypsy

Notable Moments: And with that abrupt ending, Aquaman's quarter-century career with the Justice League comes to an end.

At the time, I was furious that this story ended like this--I had been waiting for the eventual payoff to Aquaman being such an AquaJerk these past few months, but instead he ditches the JLA, gets back with the wife who seems to leave him every few months (I know she's hot an all, Arthur, but there are plenty of fish in the sea!), and leaves the JLA. I was fifteen, and the word "stricken" comes to mind as I recall reading this comic for the first time.

Of course, I now know some of the external forces that caused this, and while I wouldn't trade the superb Neal Pozner/Craig Hamilton Aquaman mini-series for anything, I really wish a better compromise could have been worked out between what Gerry Conway was doing here and DC's plans for Aquaman.

Also, this cover marks JLA Detroit co-creator Chuck Patton's final work on the book. After a fill-in next issue by Joe Staton, a new regular penciler takes over, the last one the book would ever have.

Interesting tidbit: on the JLA Mail Room page, letter writer Kent A. Phenis (who seemed to get more letters printed in DC books than anyone save T.M. Maple) wonders if the Phantom Stranger is still a member, since he wasn't around to be forced to make a choice.

Editor Alan Gold isn't sure, but I think its a safe bet that if Flash, Green Arrow, Hawkman, et al, showed up too infrequently for Aquaman's tastes, then the Stranger was definitely out. He probably would've sent the Stranger his JLA membership card torn up into little bits, if he had known where to send it.

Justice League of America #242 - Sept. 1985

Part of the new JLA vs. Amazo, plus Aquaman's search for Mera!

The Story: "Battle Cry" by Gerry Conway, George Tuska, and Mike Machlan. Picking up from last issue, we see Aquaman as he begins his search for his wife, Mera. He asks some of his finny friends, who tell him they saw her "Southeast--place of dark currents."

Meanwhile, the JLA is in the Yukon searching for the rampaging Amazo.

The Elongated Man and Gypsy are the next JLAers to run afoul of the super-powered android, and then soon after Zatanna uses her powers to conjure an image of what's happening to her friends and teammates. She and Steel take off to find them.

By this time, Martian Manhunter (and Dale Gunn) have awakened after their beat-down by the hands of Amazo. Manhunter takes a cool drink from a nearby stream, and something clicks in his head--"that's the answer--water."

Back with Aquaman, we see him reach "the place of dark currents"--off the continental shelf in the Atlantic Ocean, a crevice as vast as the Grand Canyon. Arthur senses his wife is near:

Back in the Yukon, Steel is going after Amazo, and has just as tough a time as Manhunter did. Meanwhile, Zatanna has rounded up Vixen and Vibe (yeah, they'll be a lot of help) when Amazo gets the drop on them, too!

Laying on the back of a softly swimming whale, Aquaman and Mera discuss their differences, and when Aquaman admits he inadvertently cut himself off emotionally from his wife, Mera welcomes him "home."

We see that Manhunter and Dale Gunn are on their way to Superman's Fortress of Solitude, claiming the solution is there. Manhunter told the rest of the team not to engage Amazo, only to keep an eye on him.

But obviously that hasn't worked out, because we see Elongated Man, Gypsy, and Vixen trussed up and dropped in a hole, which Amazo attempts to seal forever:

To be continued!

Roll Call: Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man, Zatanna, Vixen, Steel, Vibe, Gypsy

Notable Moments: I absolutely love the old-timey cover by Chuck Patton, even if it strikes me as odd--first off, why is Patton still doing covers even after he left the book so unceremoniously?

And second, the JLA was in dark period here, and the cover's light-hearted tone doesn't really match the events inside. But what the hey, its still nicely composed, and this Aquaman fan is happy to see Arthur happy, if only for a moment.

Justice League of America #241 - Aug. 1985

An old foe returns to face the new JLA!

The Story: "Sea Change" by Gerry Conway, George Tuska, and Mike Machlan. We open in the the Yukon, where we see a drunken, staggering man named Slick Jake MacGregor cursing the small town he's stuck in.

Jake gets caught in a blizzard and bumps into an ice-encrusted, strangely dressed stranger, who grabs MacGregor and starts to shake him, his hands heating up, until MacGregor screams in agony!

Cut to: the JLA's Detroit headquarters, where Aquaman is taking a swim while talking to Vixen.

Vixen is trying--again--to convince Arthur to go search for his wife, Mera. Aquaman is having none of it, saying she left him, her choice, and he wants to respect that decision. Vixen calls shenanigans:

While Vixen rejoins the rest of the League in preparing a meal, Aquaman sits in his quarters and broods. He told Vixen his mind is made up, but we see he's anything but sure.

Back in the Yukon, we see the local sheriff as he staggers out of a local bar. He can barely drive his truck, but that's the least of his troubles, as he runs into the same mysterious stranger, who picks up the sheriff's car, tosses it, and then blows it up with...heat-vision?!?

Meanwhile, we see Steel, Vibe, and Ralph and Sue out on the Detroit streets together, when they get a JLA distress signal. Vibe says this is his chance to try on his "new suit":

I'm not sure who designed it, but I do like this new costume of Vibe's much more than his original. And even though my...uncertainty about Tuska's work on the JLA has been said before, what he was best at sometimes came through: I just love the look on Gypsy's face in the second panel there.

Anyway, Manhunter explains they have two problems--news of what's happening in the Yukon has reached them, and the fact that their leader, Aquaman, is missing!

Manhunter figures out, based on what kind of destruction this stranger is wreaking, that it is their old foe, the one-man JLA, Amazo!

The JLA arrives in the Yukon, and they split up to search for Amazo. Its Manhunter who finds him, who alone proves no match for the super-powered android.

Meanwhile, we see where Aquaman went:

To be continued!

Roll Call: Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man, Zatanna, Vixen, Steel, Vibe, Gypsy

Notable Moments: After one issue by Mike Sekowsky, having a major story line drawn by George Tuska, instead of regular artist Chuck Patton, was disorienting as heck.

I never understood why Aquaman just took off, as opposed to telling Manhunter--or at least Vixen--where he's going. It seems as irresponsible as the JLAers he railed against for not showing up during the Earth-Mars war.

JLA/Aquaman fan Vince Bartilucci generously sent me a scan of a page of original Tuska artwork from this issue that's in his collection:

I'm struck at how much nicer Tuska's work looks to me in the original black and white. Colorists tended to color Tuska's work in day-glo, coloring book-style colors, so I guess its no surprise that it looks better like this.

Thanks Vince!

Justice League of America #228 - July 1984

The return of J'onn J'onzz the Martian Manhunter and a crisis that will change the JLA forever!

The Story: "War--of the World?" by Gerry Conway, George Tuska, and Alex Nino. We open on the red planet Mars, and find former JLA member The Martian Manhunter aboard a small spaceship, desperately trying to evade another ship!

As J'onn approaches his goal--Earth--we see the pursuers are his fellow Martians, including one named J'en, who we learn loves J'onn, but continues to pursue him because she believes he has "betrayed our people."

Not too far away, we find some members of the JLA aboard their satellite, going through their various paces--Green Arrow and Black Canary are doing training exercises, Red Tornado is doing a diagnostic check on his inner circuitry, etc.

On Monitor Duty this fateful day is Aquaman:

Aquaman alerts the other members of the space battle taking place before his eyes, one of them evening the odds with some clever maneuvers.

The pursued ship blasts right by them, and is headed for the East Coast of the United States. The JLAers beam down, just in time to see the Air Force hit the invading ship with some missiles!

Aquaman is annoyed that the Air Force did the whole "shoot first, ask questions later" thing, and is quite testy when the JLAers try and see their side of it:

Aquaman finds the rocket, and is shocked when he is hit by an escaping Martian Manhunter! Manhunter makes his apologies via mental telepathy, pastes Aquaman one, and takes off.

Firestorm, who has the least experience with J'onn, takes it upon himself to flush Manhunter out by converting most of the East River into steam! This works, but Hawkgirl scolds Firestorm for such a careless act. Manhunter then lands on shore, and collapses in Hawkgirl's arms.

Later, Manhunter explains what has happened--on his new home planet of Mars II, he stumbled upon a group called the Soldiers of the Red Brotherhood, a militia whose leader wants his people to conquer Earth!

As Manhunter stood helplessly by, he watched this group slowly gain power, and convince nearly all of the Martian people that this act of aggression is justified and necessary! Manhunter, who openly opposed this, became an Enemy of the State, and was chased off of Mars II.

As the JLAers try to comprehend what they're facing, a Mars ship arrives in New York. The Martians' leader tells Earth that they must surrender...or be destroyed:

To be continued!

Roll Call: Aquaman, Green Arrow, Hawkman, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Red Tornado, Hawkgirl, Zatanna, Firestorm

Notable Moments: This is the big one, the story that changed the JLA forever.

Over time, I've come to appreciate the work of George Tuska, but I think even his fans would admit he and superheroes were not the best match. Having such a huge story drawn by Tuska (and then by another artist next issue) gave this three-parter a slapped-together feel that, at the time, really grated on me.

Although I was thrilled to see Aquaman getting so much to do, even if he kind of a jerk to his teammates. Of course, at the time, I had no idea this was just the beginning...

Justice League of America #153 - Apr. 1978

The JLA takes quite the beat-down from a new foe, Ultraa!

The Story: "Earth's First and Last Superhero!" by Gerry Conway, George Tuska, and Frank McLaughlin. During a contentious JLA meeting, some members of the team begin to vibrate violently, until some of them disappear!

The JLAers find themselves transported to a planet that, well, looks like Earth...

On this planet, we see some hunters, while chasing after some big game, come face to face with a strangely dressed guy that calls himself Ultraa!

Meanwhile, the JLA arrive and people are perplexed as to these weirdly-dressed strangers are. They stumble across a bank robbery, which of course gives the JLA something to do.

I've never been a fan of George Tuska's superhero work, but there were times it was cool--I mean, I love that guy's face as he tries to escape The Flash. Priceless.

Anyway, the heroes find out that on this "alternate" Earth, they are merely characters in comic books (and they take a look at JLA #151, even!), so what do they do? Visit Julius Schwartz, of course!

The Flash tries to use Julie's Cosmic Treadmill to go home, but somehow it won't work!

Now we get to see, via flashback, who this Ultraa guy is--a lone survivor of a doomed race that was sent to Earth, and was found by an Aboriginal tribe, as raised as one of their own.

Some of the JLA then comes across a giant robot named Maxitron that is searching for Ultraa, who wants to destroy him. Meanwhile, Superman and GL run into Ultraa, there's the classic Misunderstanding, leading to a fight that luckily ends before too much damage is done.

Maxitron finds Ultraa, but is tricked when Supes and Ultraa are disguised as each other, to throw off Maxitron's plan. Ultraa then plants a good one right in Maxitron's hard-drive, causing it to self-destruct.

Roll Call: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Red Tornado

Notable Moments: The first and only time Dick Dillin would miss an issue during his extraordinary twelve-year run. Maybe it was the fourteen million other pages DC had him drawing that month.

Some superhero comic artists would add little touches of detail that made their work distinctive outside of the style itself.

For example, Murphy Anderson always drew superhero boots with little, elf-like tips at the end. George Tuska always put the time in to drawing little seams on superhero's gloves, like the ones pictured here. That always seemed like a lot of extra work to me.

Ultraa would return many times in subsequent issues of JLA; I don't know if he's ever shown up anywhere recently, however.

One last thing: on the cover, penciller Rich Buckler I thought really conveyed how much of a beating the JLA is taking from Ultraa. In particular, Batman looks like he's snapped his neck. Ouch!